Self-medicating Apes

The Week: Volume 8 – Issue 374

An amazing story of discovery regarding the wonderful healing powers of botanical medicine

Wild orangutans have been spotted making and applying natural ointments to soothe pain, says New Scientist. Orangutans, like humans, chimpanzees, and gorillas, are great apes, considered among the smartest animals on Earth. Primatologist Helen Morrogh-Bernard was observing Indonesian orangutans when she caught one adult female grinding a plant in her teeth and mixing it with saliva. She then applied the foamy salve to a part of her arm that looked to be in pain. “She was concentrating on her arm only and was methodical in the way she was applying the soapy foam,” Morrogh-Bernard explains. “I knew this must be some form of self-medication.” When the scientist took a look at the plant the orangutan had selected, she recognized it as a member of the Commelina family, a group of plants that act as natural anti-inflammatories and are commonly used as medicine by indigenous human populations. It’s possible, Morrogh-Bernard says, that humans learned to use the plant by copying their orangutan cousins.

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